Little Miss Nobody: A strange, old-fashioned melodrama

Is it worth your time?

If you like old black-and-white stuff that doesn't quite know what it wants to be, you might have a good time here. It’s definitely for fans of 1930s sentimentality. If you’re looking for a tight, logical script, you’re probably going to be annoyed by how fast everything shifts.

Jane Withers is the whole engine of this thing. She plays this mischievous kid who is basically a whirlwind of trouble. Sometimes it’s funny, and sometimes you just want her to stop moving for five minutes.

The transition from the orphanage to the reform school is handled with such speed it almost gave me whiplash. One minute she’s running around, the next she’s in a legal mess. The court scene feels like it belongs in a completely different, much gloomier movie.

I couldn't help but think about Through the Back Door while watching the way the kids interact. There’s that same specific type of early-talkie energy where everyone is trying just a little bit too hard to be charming.

The father-daughter dynamic is the weirdest part of the whole film. He’s the prosecutor! It’s such a bizarre coincidence that it almost feels like the writers just gave up on finding a logical way to connect them. It works, in a way, because you just sort of roll with it.

Odd little observations:

• The background extras in the courtroom look like they are waiting for a bus rather than watching a trial.
• The pacing goes from 0 to 60 in seconds.
• Some of the lines about "reform" haven't aged well, though I guess that’s expected for 1936.
• There is a moment in the orphanage that lasts way too long, just people walking in and out of doors.

It’s not a masterpiece, but it has this strange, shaky rhythm that makes it feel human. It isn't polished, and the plot holes are big enough to drive a truck through. But hey, it kept me watching until the end, even if I was just wondering how they were going to fix that mess in the courtroom. 🎬